Letter: Don’t trust those who would limit vote

EDITOR: There are people you can trust; what a blessing. There are people you cannot trust; what a shame. We stop trusting people when their lies catch up with them. Some people lie and manipulate, and for a while, good-natured trusting souls are pulled in. We want to trust people; in general, good people offer trust first. Sometimes that makes us vulnerable. Sometimes the liars take us for fools.

U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan is a good example of a liar. He is now using language that would make one believe he cares about poverty. Just a few years ago he was vilifying hungry people for accepting food stamps and accusing your grandmother of being part of the freeloading 50 percent for accepting Social Security. Ryan sees your grandmother as a “taker,” not a “producer.”

Another good example of lying is provided by those who voted to limit voter access in Wisconsin. Twice they successfully voted to limit access to the polls. They said it was necessary to create equality in voter access throughout the state. We all know that isn’t what they want. They say that a voter in a sparsely populated district in rural Wisconsin should have no more or less access to the polls as a voter in a densely populated district in Milwaukee. Do they also believe all grocery stores should have the same number of check-outs regardless of traffic? Would they advocate for the same number of check-out clerks in a store, regardless of the time of day? The argument is absurd and they know it. They aren’t dumb; they’re dishonest.

But they obviously calculated that a certain number of Wisconsin voters would buy it. Unfortunately, some did. When liars use absurd arguments to justify their actions it goes beyond lying; it is blatant cynical manipulation. Our legislators who voted for a bill to limit voting for those who they think will not vote for them are manipulators and cannot be trusted. They are using the power of their office to disenfranchise voters who are likely to vote for their opponents. That goes beyond lying and manipulation; it is un-American. There is nothing more quintessentially American than the vote.